Fate, Love, and Espresso
by Nekoi Kurona
Summary: Reborn messes up on a mission and falls unconscious in an alley, where a girl finds and heals him. RFem!27


_So this dull life of mine is finally going to end…_

_A raven-haired man observed the blurry world one last time before closing them. His soul faded to the darkness…_

* * *

A teenaged girl hummed as she carried groceries back to her home.

Suddenly, her nose flared and she smelled blood. Lots of it. Following the smell, she found herself in front of a raven-haired man wearing the usual mafia attire, though fancier. Unable to ignore a dying man, she ripped her clothing to bandage him and slung him over her shoulder.

She continued humming her way home; this time, using a softer and more comforting tone.

* * *

The man blinked as he woke up with a start. He couldn't recognize where he was or even how he got there. Heck, his memories told him that he was supposed to have died. Was. The clean bandages and lack of pain told him that someone patched him up.

The door softly banged and he was on his feet, hands at the person's throat, "Chaos. Who are you?"

The man was not expecting a young, warm voice that nearly soothed his muscles. Nearly if he was not the world's greatest hitman. "I'm Tsuna, owner of Italy's Sky Café and Rainbow Orphanage. Also the person who found you dying last night and patched you up, Reborn."

The man's eyes narrowed. He detected no lie, but also knew that there was no reason to—"Why did you heal me? I am a hitman and do not know you."

"Do I need a reason to help a person in need?"

"Yes. No one helps without a motive. Tell me; who do you want me to kill?"

"I do not have a motive nor doo I wish for someone to die. Is it that hard to accept that I helped you without wanting something back?"

Honestly, Reborn didn't know what to think about that answer. His instinct, honed through many fights, didn't flare up; she was telling him her honest opinions. The girl gently pushed his hands away from her throat and set down the tray of hot food on the table. Reborn's stomach grumbled lowly, embarrassing him. Tsuna laughed and Reborn decided that he liked the melodic sound.

Tsuna wore black baggy pants that had lots of pockets. An orange hoodie with the number 27 covered her chest. Her chocolate brown hair was long and silky, complimenting her smooth ivory skin. What stood out most from the girl was her big, doe-like eyes full of gentle warmth and maturity. She was pretty cute—Reborn blinked, wondering what the hell he was thinking.

He sat back down on the bed, trusting his instinct that the girl was safe. The girl smiled, "Aren't you going to eat, Reborn?"

Reborn scoffed, "It's probably poisoned."

He found a knife flying dangerously close to him. The girl narrowed her eyes, "It is an insult to the chef, me, to even think that I would poison food. Now eat up Reborn."

"Hn."

He grunted, wondering where the hell the knife came from. Maybe from the many pockets on her pants. Silently, he examined the food and seeing no problems with it, ate a piece. His eyes brightened for a millisecond before he composed himself again, "Better than nothing."

All oof the eery aura surrounding Tsuna disappeared as she nodded. It was about as close to a praise she was going to get from the notoriously famous assassin who cold-heartedly killed his targets. Reborn mentally sweat-dropped at her bipolarness. After eating the delicious meal, he asked,

"So how do you know my name?"

Tsuna scoffed, "I'd be a fool if I didn't know who you are. Italy likes to talk about your 100% success rate."

"But no one saw my face before."

"Then, I'm the first, seeing that I see it now. To be honest, though, I only connected your name to you after you tried killing me a few moments ago. No one is that fast after being shot about nine times, suffering from blood loss, sleeping for two days, and being injected with painkillers."

Reborn blinked; that was a lot of calm reasoning. Normally people would freak out when they are about to die. Either that or freeze from fear.

"Anyways, since you're all healed, take your jacket and leave."

"You are really carefree about this."

She shrugged, "I have a habit of helping people… and I plan on keeping it." She, then, smiled at Reborn, "And I heard that even though you are said to be emotionless, you don't harm kids or women."

Reborn allowed himself to smirk in amusement; the girl was really amusing, "And lucky for you, I don't."

He, then, grabbed his black jacket and disappeared out the window that the girl had opened. Right after he left, the girl closed it and the curtains.

* * *

"Tsuna-nee! Lambo-sama is hungry!"

"Shut up, Ahoshi! Tsuna-sama is busy!"

"Maa maa, Hayato. Calm down."

"EXTREME breakfast!"

"Tsu-chan, do you need help?"

"Haru will help as well!"

"…I'll h-help as well, Boss…"

"Kufufufu, Chrome-chan And Tsuna-chan are so diligent."

"Stop crowding, herbivores."

The other kids in the room quietly watched the noisy group crowding around Tsuna. Spanner sucked on his wrench-shaped lollipop (today is strawberry flavored). Irie fidgeted as he tried to calm himself down with his laptop (that Tsuna bought for him). The Millefiore boys (and 1 girl) watched with amusement as usual.

Yup. It was a normal day in the Rainbow Orphanage.

(A/N: Decimo Generation, Kyoko, Haru, Bluebell, Daisy, Fran, Chikusa, Ken, Irie, and Spanner will be nine years old. Tsuna is 18. Reborn is 21. Byakuran and Ghost are twins of 13 years. Torikabuto, Kikyo, and Zakuro are 16 years old. Tsuna takes in other kids that are struggling on the streets as well, but they are not that important. She also takes in animals at times so the box animals appear).

* * *

Reborn walked back to his apartment and was greeted with the familiar cold and bare place. He didn't bother turning on the lights and just treaded in the darkness.

Yes… This is where he belong… Not in the light, but in the dark.

There was a weird feeling in his chest as he fell on to his bed, weary.

* * *

One month has passed since Tsuna had taken care of the assassin. She didn't really mind, though for some reason her thoughts would switch to the man's dead eyes. There was something about those obsidian black eyes that didn't seem right.

"Tsuna!"

Takeshi caught her just in time while Kyoya sweeped in and caught the food perfectly. Hayato worriedly glanced at her, "Are you alright, Tsuna-sama? You've been out of it lately."

"Kufufufu, do you need assistance in getting rid of someone?"

Tsuna smiled, "No, Mukuro. Thanks, Takeshi. And will you hand out those orders for me, Kyoya?"

"Hn."

"Careful. Careful."

Hibird chirped cutely as it nestled in Kyoya's hair. The boy gracefully walked to the tables and placed the food down, making some customers squeal.

Sky Café. Founded by Tsuna and managed by her. She also made the food, which was one of the things that made it so popular. Even though it was only an ordinary café, the newspapers rank her cooking as one of the best cooking in the world. Tsuna still denies the many praises and compliments though, saying that it was only because she made it from her heart. Which was another reason why it was so popular. Sky Café was warm and felt like home. Anyone, even Mafiaso, could relax in it.

Another reason why it was popular was because of its appearance. Everyday, a few of the kids from the Rainbow Orphanage would help out. And the kids from the orphanage were cute and helpful enough to look like models. Especially those of the inner circle (Decimo Generation and Milliefiore Gang). Tsuna, herself, was cute; though she wore boy clothes, she had a fresh and innocent appeal. Her gentle love for everyone easily made people care about her.

Sky Café was one of the only places in Italy that hasn't been corrupted by mafia. It was even considered a neutral zone along with the Rainbow Orphanage that she ran.

"Are you really alright, Tsuna-sama?"

Hayato gazed at her worriedly, but brightened as she said that she was fine. Heading back inside to continue cooking, she sighed to herself. She needed to stop thinking about him and focus on her work.

.

.

.

After a few minutes, she closed up and asked the kids to walk on home without her. They protested, but saw that she wanted some alone time. So they left while arguing with each other. Hayato one-sidedly fought Takeshi while Kyoya and Mukuro really were fighting.

She continued pacing down the streets, looking up at the stars of the beautiful night. A flash of movement in the shadows, however, attracted her attention. She narrowed her eyes and suddenly felt her intuition flare. Not much though.

And on cue, some stray drunks swayed their way out of the dark alleys. She didn't let her guard down though. Everyone in Italy was connected to mafia, no matter how hard they tried not to be. Italy was mafia's origins, home, and territory.

One of the drunks spotted her and hiccupped, "Oh, pretty girl on the streets. I'm from the famous Ubriaco Famiglia. Wanna join me tonight?"

The other drunks laughed while chugging down more drinks. Tsuna scoffed, "No."

Then, she turned and walked away. The drunks were unhappy with her response and ran to her, throwing an empty bottle at her head. She tilted her head to the side and then eyed the people surrounding her with disgust.

"Wanna join me for some loving tonight?"

"No."

"…Urrr Argh! No one refuses me! I'm from the Ubriaco Famiglia!"

With that, he charged forward, trying to grab her. Tsuna side-stepped him and disappeared in an instant—to walk away as the men behind her dropped to the floor at once. A hand gripped hers so that she couldn't move without breaking it,

"Chaos."

"What do you want, Reborn?"

Moonlight shimmered down, encasing them with silvery light. For an instant, Tsuna could see a smirk on the hitman's features. Reborn could see a smile. Both saw a tiny hint of excitement in each others eyes before the world became its dark night again. As if what they saw were illusions. Tsuna chuckled, "Is this fate?"

"Maybe."

"Mm… Weird thing… I can never stop thinking about you, Reborn."

The hitman seemed to think for awhile before replying, "Same." And another short pause before he added, "I never saw someone like you before, Tsuna."

"And I you… What's the word? You intrigue me."

"…You as well… Maybe we are fated to meet each other."

"…Then, in that case, do you want to stay over at my place?"

Tsuna could see the gleaming orbs blink with surprise, "…Sure. I drink expresso."

A giggle escaped her as she playfully pushed him away, "That's the first thing you say to a girl when she asks you over? No wonder you have no lovers!"

She could feel eyes glaring at her, but not too hardly. Reborn seemed to growl out, "Not true."

I smiled while questioning, "Then, anyone that you truly love?"

There was silence before Reborn replied, "What about you?"

"Nope. Friendships and sibling relations are the only things that I can do."

"And you're offering a guy like me—"

Tsuna's eyes gleamed as she turned to stare at Reborn, confidently, "I'm strong enough."

Reborn's eyes flashed back to the unconscious men behind and he scoffed, "Oh please. Those are nothing."

"They are nothing. I can do so much better."

"Yeah right, I know a bluff when I hear one."

And Reborn heard none. But he enjoyed the challenging gaze that she gaze him. He just came back from a kill too. His blood was aching for something stronger. Tsuna also felt the monster in her rouse. She never used her strength for a long time so maybe it was time to shake off the dust again. Both of them silently agreed and attacked each other at the speed of light. Tsuna pulled out her gloves while Reborn had his guns. The two attacked while heading for the forest, to avoid attention.

* * *

Seven hours past and both were panting lightly (to be graceful) on the ground. They both relished in the glory of the fight, not caring about who had won or lost. It was fun, being able to go all out and past their limits. And that was all that truly mattered. Tsuna stretched and grinned as she sat up with Reborn.

"I guess you aren't called the world's best assassin for nothing."

Reborn's smirk widened, "Of course! …you aren't half-bad as well."

"Mm, people tend to forget that 18 year old girls can't just create a café and orphanage out of nowhere. You need money to do that."

Reborn mentally blinked, "So you killed too?"

"Nope, I don't kill. But I did do my share of illegal stuff."

"Interesting."

"Not really. Everyone in Italy is a Mafiaso. It's rather normal."

"Not that. You. You are interesting."

Tsuna felt herself blushing, "W-wha—"

And for the first time in his life, Reborn—_Reborn—_laughed. Tsuna widened her eyes at the baritone sound as Reborn smirked, "Dame-Tsuna, I didn't mean it that way."

Tsuna widened her eyes before whacking the assassin on the head, adding to his injuries. Reborn winced a little, not feeling so tired for a long time. Tsuna just hurriedly fetched a ring out, making the assassin curious. Then, she placed it on her ring finger and concentrated. A yellow flame glimmered and shined. Reborn widened his eyes,

"Sun Flames?"

Now, Tsuna widened her eyes. Not really the expression she was expecting. More like 'why-is-there-flames-popping-out-of-the-ring' expression.

"You know about Dying Will Flames?"

"…The basics, yeah. I worked for Vongola a few times."

Internally, Tsuna growled at the name. She continued with her usual expression though, "Then, you know about their abilities?"

"…no. Do they have abilities?"

"Yeah." Tsuna explained all of it concluding with, "All the Vongola knows are the different types. They don't understand the potential power behind it… So keep it a secret, Reborn. Please?"

"Sure. So you are sun?"

"Nah, I'm a special case. I have two. My main flame is Sky, but I can use Sun as well."

Mentally, she added that she could actually use all of them except for the Night Flames that Vindice had. Anyways, she healed the both of them so that they were well again. Though they could move, they chose to stay in the same spot, only lying on the ground and looking at the sun rising and shining beautifully with the blue sky.

* * *

"Ne, Tsu-chan, your clothes are ripped~"

"Hn. You smell like blood, omnivore."

Byakuran and Kyoya stood at the entrance waiting for her. Tsuna sweat-dropped, "Were you waiting the whole night?"

"The others did as well, but Kikyo made them all go to sleep~"

"So who are the herbivores that did this to you?"

"No one~ I accidentally tripped in the forest."

Both kids gave her disbelieving looks, but left it at that. They did, however, vow to rip whoever did this to her to shreds.

"Come on, you two are hungry, right?"

Byakuran ran and glomped Tsuna while Kyoya yawned and trailed behind.

* * *

Tsuna started her morning jog before cooking breakfast. After two kilometers, she felt a hand cover her mouth as an arm wrapped around her waist…

And a familiar voice sending shivers down her spine.

"Chaos. Training to beat me, Dame-Tsuna?"

"Mm hrm mmhn mrhnm." Yeah, right, fail hitman.

Reborn smirked, "I can't hear you, Dame-Tsuna."

Tsuna snarled ferally into his hand and jammed her elbows into his chest. The hitman tightened his muscles perfectly in time to catch them. Now, she was stuck. The hitman already controlled her legs with his own.

"MMM BMRM HRMM MMHM MRHNM!" She started cursing into his hand. Suddenly, she fell to the ground with a hard thump and she rubbed her butt that ached from the impact. Reborn looked away with a slight pink on his cheek. To Tsuna, however, every little action of Reborn was a big reaction. She could tell every little feeling and emotion that he showed. So she giggled,

"Thinking dirty?"

Reborn blushed a bit more before regaining his smirk and licking his hand sexily. Tsuna blushed furiously, thinking of indirect kisses since it was the same hand that held her silent. Reborn's smirk grew bigger. It was always fun to tease the girl. He had a blast with her.

Then, Tsuna's watch started beeping and the girl stood up to leave. Reborn stopped her and she looked back with a disappointed sigh,

"I have to take care of the kids."

He snorted, "The brats are more important than me?"

Tsuna grinned, "Yup~! They're my life!"

A strange feeling filled his brain and Reborn possessively kissed her. Forcefully, he entered her mouth and explored her little cavern. It tasted like strawberries and chocolate. Reborn gazed deepily into her half-lidded, dazed eyes as if he was peering into her soul. Her white skin turned into a pleasant pink as he gripped her shoulders tightly and continued the kiss. They danced with their tongues until the limits of man forced them apart. Both separated, but were still close together, panting.

Tsuna and Reborn blushed and Tsuna firmly pushed him away, "…Kids. I need to make breakfast…"

Then, she left quickly. The world's greatest hitman was lost on what to do as millions of things flew into his mind.

First and foremost was _I… love her._

* * *

Months passed and soon, summer became fall. Tsuna wondered what the hitman was doing and after a long time of mediating, wished that she didn't push him away. She truly enjoyed their time together and…

The kiss was fantastic.

She looked away from her reflection on the window while blushing. Damn. She couldn't get that scene out of her mind.

As she passed by a hat store, she noticed a black and orange fedora. Allured, she walked towards it and felt the black fabric and orange ribbon. Her mind fluttered to the man and the next thing, she knew, she bought it. All wrapped up perfectly in a box.

She walked out with her purchase to notice some Mafiasos chase after a little brown-haired boy. Quickly, she kicked them down and grabbed the boy's hand,

"This way!"

They disappeared into a nearby alley and went through the maze of building walls. Once safe, the boy breathily thanked her,

"T-thanks."

"You're welcome. So who were they?"

"Mafia. After me."

"And you are…?"

"Fuuta de Stella. I'm the new Ranking Prince."

"Oh… Want to stay at my orphanage then? I'll protect you."

Fuuta's eyes sparkled, "Orphanage? Are you Tsuna?"

An eyebrow arched, "Yeah?"

"Wah… I'm a big fan!"

"…thanks?"

And so, Rainbow Orphanage gained a new member.

* * *

Tsuna watched as the kids played at the playground in the park. Fuuta sat next to her,

"Is there something you want me to rank?"

She blinked, "You can tell?"

He nodded, "You keep looking at me."

"I see… Sorry, but can you look up three things for me?"

"Sure~! Anything for Tsuna-nee!"

"Thanks, then…"

She whispered a few things and Fuuta's eyes widened as a pink blush dusted over his cheeks. He nodded and activated his ability while Tsuna used an illusion so that the other kids couldn't hear. She listened to the rankings and after Fuuta finished, she whispered,

"Thanks. Can you tell the others that I'll be gone for a few days?"

"Y-yeah, good luck Tsuna-nee!"

* * *

Tsuna quickly ran North.

#1 Place to Find Reborn: [Insert Random Address Here]

After reaching the city, she searched for the familiar raven-head man. With no luck.

Well, she should have expected that it would be harder to find Reborn. And that the assassin wouldn't walk in broad daylight. She considered calling out his name, but knew that that was foolish. So she depended on her senses.

His baritone voice that sent shivers up her spine…

Obsidian eyes and spiky hair with curly sideburns… Always neat and properly dressed…

Smell of iron and gunpowder, but most importantly, the smell of coffee beans and pine leaves…

His rough and possessive touch… Hands that speak of adventure and stories…

And the cold kiss of expresso.

She followed her intuition, but with no success. There were no traces of him…

But she would not give up.

Focused in her search, she did not see the mafia men behind her. Only until she felt a syringe of some weird drug, did she notice and by then it was too late. The ugly men threw her into an alley, licking their lips while laughing. Tsuna blinked as her sight blurred and she felt something hot in her… Her mind dulled and she could not comprehend the situation in front of her. All she felt was air tickling her body as a loud rip of clothing stung the air.

"Awww, it's a pretty girl alone on the streets of Sicily."

A whistle, "Damn, this chick's hot. Look at that body."

"Sexier than my girlfriend. And cuter too."

She gasped as someone squeezed her breasts.

"She's so soft like a marshmellow…"

"Sounds beautiful as well. Wonder what a sex doll like her is doing in these streets. Let's teach her a lesson."

There was a murmur of agreements as Tsuna felt hands all over her body again. Something poked at her entrance, but before she could tell what it was or it could pierce, there was a loud thwack and a ring of gunshots. She felt something gentler hold her before covering her body. Then, he knocked her out.

* * *

Tsuna woke up with her body still tingly, but her mind was back to normal with no more fuzz. She groaned as she sat up and looked around at the unfamiliar bedroom. And she blushed as she realized that she was still naked. Before she could get out of bed though, the door opened and a man held her down on the bed. She protested by struggling and kneeing him hard in the chest, just to notice that it was Reborn.

But in her realization, the raven-haired man once again took hold of her and used his weight to crush her down. She blinked and was going to say something, but Reborn seized the opening to kiss her fiercely. She struggled for a bit, but gave up and waited until he was done. After a while, she shouted,

"Reborn, what are you doing?"

The man hissed, "What were you doing? I just walk out of my apartment to see you having sex!"

"I was NOT having sex; they friggin drugged me!"

"And that makes it okay? You could have kicked them off like now!"

"Let's see you drugged up and try that!"

"How did they even drug you? Those guys can't even touch you."

"…I was distracted. Alright? Now, get off of me."

Tsuna tried wiggling out, but Reborn's grip tightened and his eyes narrowed, "No. They touched you, didn't they? You allowed them to."

"I was drugged!"

Reborn's eyes glared dangerously as he snarled, "You allowed them to! They touched what's mine."

And before Tsuna could protest, she felt herself be gagged tightly by a tie. Reborn's tie. Her arms were roughly yanked up and tied together to the bedpost. Her legs as well except they were tied separately. Her eyes widened and for the first time, she was afraid of Reborn.

He wildly kissed and touched every inch of her body with professional hands and possessive bites. Tsuna thrashed, moaning into the bondage and arching her back with pleasure. She was going insane.

"Ahn, R-reborn, s-stop—"

Teeth roughly sunk into her neck, making her cry out again. Obsidian eyes flashed as hands went down lower.

"No."

.

.

.

After many rounds, Reborn finally calmed down and face-palmed himself. He had fucked Tsuna again and again over an accusation that even he knew was false. The girl laid unconscious and still bound up. His seed and sweat mixed and trailed over her lithe and beautiful body. Under that hoodie and baggy pants that she wore nearly everyday, she had a cute, dynamite figure refined through training and martial arts. Her thighs were curvy and perfect as if an artist carved them.

And during sex, she was so damn seductive and alluring even when she wasn't trying. Everything about her just turned him on. And everything about her made him go mad with desire. He wanted to imprison her in his castle and keep her all to himself. He never felt himself so possessive or emotional over something before. He was the world's greatest assassin and damn proud of his calm control over his emotions… But just seeing her made him lose to lust and love.

He was happy that he was her first and finally touched her like he always wanted to, but was disgusted with himself at what he did. He forced her while ridiculing her. The red blood and white semen dropped onto the bed as he undid the bonds. He winced as he remembered how hard he banged into her for her first time and cummed into her in droves.

Damn.

He clenched his fist so hard that nail broke skin. He had no right to say that he loved her. He had no right to see her after this.

As he got up to leave, a hand weakly yet firmly handled his. Reborn flinched and turned to see Tsuna struggle to get up.

"Stop, Tsuna; you're too tired to—"

"You're leaving aren't you?"

Reborn flinched again at the hurt tone, but asked a question of his own, "…do you want me to? …I apologize for what I did…"

What he had not expected was the shake of her head. Nor the desperate hug that he received, "No! I love you, Reborn, so don't leave."

"Even after what I did? Even when I r-raped you?"

"…yeah… I forgive you; it makes me happy that you felt something for me as well."

The hitman felt his own hands wrap around the fragile girl, around the girl that was so beautiful and warm, "…Dame-Tsuna, it's not just something. I love you."

Past disappeared as they reveled in their newfound feelings for each other. And they both drifted off to the warm lull of sleep with their hands connected in a promise to be together… forever.

* * *

The other two rankings that Fuuta gave to Tsuna:

#1 Most Important Person in Tsuna's Life: Reborn

#1 Most Important Person who Shares a Birthday with Reborn: Margaret Thatcher

* * *

After she woke up, she found herself cleaned and dressed in a long blue gown. She blushed as she knew that it was Reborn who put the cloth on her. Getting up, she noticed how the pain as well as red marks around her wrists and legs were gone.

A whistle made her smile as she looked up. "So you don't seem all that sunny to me."

Reborn smirked, "Admit it. I brighten your day."

She stood up and gracefully walked to his side, "Maybe~"

The two lightly kissed each other before eating breakfast that Reborn made. After eating, Tsuna finally realized that Reborn was wearing a fedora—the one that she bought!

"Since when did you realize my birthday?"

Tsuna grinned, "I met Ranking Prince Fuuta and asked him. We got off at an awkward moment so I thought that I should make it up to you."

Reborn raised a brow, "So that's how you knew my address as well… But Fuuta ranks not informs. How did he know about my birthday?"

"I asked him about the most important person who shares a birthday with you and then looked the person up on the web. As long as you ask the right question, then Fuuta can tell you anything."

"…Pretty good… Then, when's yours?"

Tsuna looked at him in mock horror, "The world's greatest assassin celebrates birthdays?"

"Hn, I don't, but I'll make an exception for you. I like the hat."

"Mm, tomorrow."

"…" Tsuna giggled at his frozen state and Reborn growled, "And you didn't tell me?"

"Hey, you didn't tell me either~" After teasing Reborn, Tsuna sipped her herbal tea, "So now that we're lovers, what are we going to do? Marry?"

Reborn wistfully sipped his expresso as well, "Mm, sure. I don't mind though it'd be best to keep our relationship a secret."

She snorted, "Of course, I'm not planning on telling the kids that I married a sadistic beast. And I don't need them endangered or exposed to the mafia world more than they are now."

"I'm jealous. You care about them more than me."

The girl grinned, "Aw, you know that I love you just as much."

He gave her a mockingly hurt look and they kissed again, "Only that much?"

"Nah, much more." She, then, rose, "I told the kids that I will spend a few days here so if you're free as well, then we can have fun and get used to each other."

Reborn grinned as he wrapped his arms around her waist, "I'm sure after last night, you already got used to me."

"Oh dear, lucky me that you have Sun Flames then. A lesser being would have died."

For a millisecond, Reborn softened his eyes in guilt and anguish, but it disappeared as Tsuna hugged him reassuringly in forgiveness. Reborn smiled in gratitude and wondered just how she had change him so much and became so important in his life. Tsuna also wondered, but pulled him up,

"Let's go pick out some rings for our marriage!"

"Hn."

* * *

Time Skip

* * *

Reborn kept his emotionless, cold façade on as he accepted the folder containing his new target and left. Traveling to the area only took thirty minutes. The kill took one second. Reporting took ten. And he was going back to get his next mission.

No one in the underworld was surprised by his quick, efficient mission accomplishments and skills. Reborn was quickly acknowledged as the world's greatest hitman. He never messed up, he never revealed the tiniest ounce of emotion, and that fedora of his never left his head. His background was a completely mystery as long as his private life. Though there was one particular thing about Reborn that many noticed:

He never killed women or children.

And though no one questioned it, they wondered if the cold-blooded assassin really had a heart.

Oh, if they knew.

* * *

Tsuna was the bright, popular, and beautiful lady who owned Sky Café and Rainbow Orphanage; the two areas still being neutral and loving places that no one dared destroy.

Rainbow Orphanage overlooked the coming and going of kids, now currently having a total of 50 of them running around. The original crew had long been adopted by many people, to their protest but her convincing that they needed to move on. She actually had to do that with every kid that had lived in her orphanage for at least a week. She firmly believed, though, that the orphanage was just a temporary home and that if people decide to adopt them, then the children should take that chance instead of staying with her forever.

Sky Café had grown larger in size as its fame grew. Tsuna even allowed interns and apprentices in to share her secret recipes. Her café also got a free wifi system for those who wanted to use their laptops while enjoying their meal.

And though she was seen most of the days of Italy, her background and private life still are a mystery to the country. They especially wondered where the lady was living since she didn't stay her nights at the orphanage anymore.

But they didn't question it as they thought that she was just an ordinary innocent and beautiful woman.

Oh, if they knew.

* * *

Reborn and Tsuna both kissed each other chastisely before opening the door to their home together. It was a like a ritual to come home at exactly 7 PM. A little boy and girl ran to the door with bright smiles,

"Mama! Papa!"

"Chaos."

Tsuna smiled as she picked them both up, "Have you two been behaving yourselves well, Ryuuji, Tatsumi?"

Both Reborn and Tsuna used no last name for various reasons and had no family. So the kids also only had one name. And since Tsuna was Japanese, she chose them for her twin kids. As twins, both of them were five years old.

Ryuuji had spiky brown hair (like Tsuna's in the manga). His eyes were a molten amber, warm and quiet. Normally, the boy was quiet and kind, but when angered, he was like a fierce dragon. He was very protective of his family and very smart and strong. Especially since Reborn taught him a lot of self-defense techniques to protect Tsuna and his sister.

Tatsumi had long black hair that curled in intricate locks. Her eyes were a very very dark blue that could be easily mistaken as black. She was fairly quiet herself, talking only when necessary or when she was with family. When she was with friends or family, she was a great talker and could chat for a long time. Tatsumi favored a different style of fighting that used flexibility and speed.

Both kids were precocious and smart, inheriting their parents' genius and hard-working personalities. And Tsuna had a suspicion that Tatsumi had nearly awakened her Hyper Intuition. Since they both already learned how to talk and walk, Tsuna and Reborn allowed them to leave the house whenever they want in the daytime. As long as they got back by 6 PM, the time when the sky starts to darken. Being smart, Ryuuji and Tatsumi both understood the dangers of Italy and never mentioned their family or let their guard fall when outside.

After all, Reborn is VERY famous and all of them knew just how much people wanted to grab something they could use on him. Tsuna, herself, is very famous as well. So when they left the house together, they left as illusions or disappeared at the speed of light. (Ryuuji was a Rain and Storm user while Tatsumi was a Cloud so only Tsuna could use illusions).

But despite their precautions, Reborn and Tsuna had a rule that if someone ever asked, then they wouldn't deny their relationship. Even if it had bad future consequences, they wouldn't deny their love for each other or family.

And as extra precaution, all of them wore a chain necklace that had their family ring on them. (For Reborn and Tsuna, it were their wedding rings). The rings were specially made by Talbot, the kids' godfather, to not only activate their Flames, but also be able to sense each other's general location when activated. Talbot was the only one who knew their secret. Well, him and Bermuda, someone that Reborn still hasn't met yet, but was apparently a friend of Tsuna's.

"We're well. Today was fun!"

And both of them reported their days to her. Ryuuji and Tatsumi normally had interesting days, always together no matter what and getting into trouble somehow.

.

.

.

At night, Reborn sat on the bed pondering something. Tsuna hugged him from behind, "What are you thinking about?"

"…Arcobaleno."

Reborn didn't miss the slight stiffening of his love. Turning, he faced her, "Do you know about the Arcobaleno?"

Tsuna and Reborn both knew each other so well that it was impossible to hide anything. So they always told each other to save trouble. Tsuna sighed, "I was going to say to refuse Checker Face's offer… But you can't since you're the world's strongest hitman."

Reborn's eyes narrowed. Tsuna never had a problem with his missions, even when they had to do with killing or arrogant but high-paying bastards. "Is there something wrong with Checker Face?"

She frowned, "…I don't know how to explain it really… And I have mixed feelings about it since it is necessary, but horrible."

"What is it?"

"…" Tsuna began telling Reborn about the Arcobaleno and the curse. And about her friend, Bermuda of Vindice—out of all the people, Reborn never expected the friend she talked about before was the leader of Vindice. But then again, she was just unpredictable like that. Reborn also frowned as he heard what happens to the people, but as he thought about Tsuna and his kids, he accepted it.

"So that's what it means to be an Arcobaleno…"

"Yeah. It's necessary for the balance of the world, but you get cursed and die a dog's death."

"…Why didn't he offer you? You're strong yourself."

"I'm not famous or known to be strong. He probably doesn't know about me. So what are you going to do? I'll follow you no matter what your choice is."

"…I'll accept it. It seems that I can't just ignore it…"

"..."

* * *

After the first day of meeting the others, they worked together on fun, challenging, high-paying jobs. Although the others had their annoying quirks, Reborn grew to trust them as friends (though he would never admit that they were more than acquaintances). He felt that the others felt the same way since they started meeting even outside of meeting places. Once in a while, Lal's idiot pupil would join in as well.

"Bwahahaha, did you see that, Reborn, Colonello? I'm the awesome Skull-sama!"

Reborn continued ignoring the bug calls while Colonello kicked the lackey. The others continued in their silence though once in a while chatted small polite talk. Reborn noticed that today particularly, Luce was gazing at him with tints of red around the cheeks. Reborn raised a brow,

"Something wrong, Luce?"

The woman shook her head and smiled, "Just that something interesting will happen today."

The others echoed, "Something interesting?"

She nodded, "Something interesting and unexpected. Soon."

Everyone trusted her visions when she said them. After many close-calls, they knew that the premonitions were real no matter how fantastical it sounded. Reborn mentally sighed as he had a faint feeling of what was to happen. They were awfully near his apartment, though they did not know it.

As if on cue, he noticed two kids running away from a mob of mafiasos. The girl noticed him and pulled the boy with her, "Papa! Help us!"

And there was a great silence. Nearby people who heard the kid, looked around to see if the father of them would come out and deal with the giant crowd of maybe 50 angry mafia men. No one answered the call and Colonello, who couldn't stand seeing kids desperate for help, was about to stand up. But to the Arcobaleno's surprise, Luce smiled and pulled him down. The Arcobaleno gazed at her weirdly since normally she was the one who would rush in to help the kids without hesitation.

"Luce?"

Luce grinned as she turned to the stoic hitman who was still sipping his expresso, "I believe that they're calling for you, Reborn."

All gawked. They heard wrong, didn't they. Lal started, "Luce, _Reborn _doesn't have kids—"

Reborn finished with his expresso stood up and in an instant, all the men collapsed with puddles of blood on the ground. The kids hugged his legs,

"Papa!"

The hitman sighed, "Ryuuji, Tatsumi, what did I say about getting into trouble?"

The girl pumped her fists in the air, "Fight your way out! –But the thing is, we bought a gift that is very very fragile and couldn't fight."

The boy nodded, "Fragile", as he revealed a box that he gently cradled in his arms.

"Hn, fine. Come along; we'll go home together later."

Both brightened, "No 6PM curfews?"

The hitman deadpanned, "Only for today."

They walked back to the café table; the kids stole two chairs and ordered some shortcakes before sitting next to Reborn. They turned to the still surprised Arcobaleno and found themselves glomped by the pregnant-looking woman,

"So cute~! So my dream was right! Reborn did have kids! And so adorable~! Why didn't you ever tell me?"

All three replied, "You never asked."

The girl explained, "Family rule. We don't deny our family no matter what!"

And the boy commented, "So you must have never asked."

Colonello shook out of his shock, "…But I don't think anyone would have thought that the notorious hitman had a family… How old are you two?"

"Five~"

Skull stuttered, "S-so, y-you r-really are his k-KIDS?"

Lal deadpanned, "They just said so. And why is this such a big deal?"

Fong smiled gently, "Nice to meet you, Ryuuji, Tatsumi. I'm Fong, a friend of Reborn's."

"Luce~! But you can call me Auntie Luce!"

Both escaped her grasps as they saw their orders coming up. Tatsumi playfully ate her cake, "Yadda! There's only Mama, Papa, Mr. Godfather, Uncle, and Ryuuji-nii!"

Reborn blinked, "Uncle?"

"Oh! Mama introduced him to us before! He looks like a mummy with all his bandages~"

"…Hn, I thought Bermuda was her friend."

"He is, but he preferred Uncle."

"Fine with me… These people are acquaintances from work."

And Colonello snickered at how his rival seemed like an ordinary father. He had to admit that he was jealous though; Lal never accepted his love. He watched as Reborn's eyes grew softer even though it was only by a millimeter and protectiveness filled the gap. The kids were perfectly fine with talking to him even though they obviously knew his position in the dark world and wasn't nervous at all in front of strangers,

"I'm Colonello, kora."

The kids blinked before the girl replied, "Mama told me that blondes were stupid."

Cue snickers and coughs of hidden laughter.

"BWAHAHAHA, Colonello, you just got pwn—" Skull was kicked down and the kids nicknamed,

"Lackey."

Verde gazed at them in amusement, "So they really are your children." Pushing up his glasses, "I'm Verde; mind becoming test experiments?"

"Creep."

His glasses cracked. Lal deadpanned at the nicknames, "I'm Lal."

"Mm, I'm Tatsumi; this is Ryuuji, Lal-nee."

Internally, Lal smirked at being the only one with a normal introduction, "Is your mother Japanese?"

"Half."

"Mm. I approve of her naming sense."

"Thanks. By the way, what's the boy's name?"

"…Viper."

Colonello gaped, "Wait, you weren't a girl?"

Tatsumi snorted, "You're slow, Colonello. Are you really an Arcobaleno?"

Reborn answered, "He isn't. He's Lal's idiot student."

"Oooohhh, so he's weak."

Reborn smirked, "Yes."

"OI, KORA!"

Tatsumi giggled, but then narrowed her eyes and looked south. The others picked up her actions as well and Ryuuji placed his little box on the table while pulling out gloves with dagger knuckles. Tatsumi had a light collapsible bo staff, "Seems like news in Italy travels fast."

Ryuuji nodded in agreement, "Mama won't be happy that more people will be after us."

Reborn smirked as he tilted his fedora down, "Then show her that you can take care of yourself."

On cue, many people appeared. An army of people that seemed to hate Reborn and think that he will be weaker with children by his side. The streets were filled with mafia men and weapons.

Ryuuji muttered, "We don't need help. Just watch the box for us."

Reborn lifted his new cup of expresso up, "If you're going to do something…"

"Do it with your dying will, right?"

Tatsumi smiled before throwing her bo staff up. She, then, hopped on it while kicking it so it went higher and she continued until she was twenty times her height in the air. Grabbing her bo staff, she smiled while floating down like a leaf. Her distraction allowed Ryuuji to take down tens of men already.

"Heeheehee, now is it my debut?"

Falling down, she landed in the middle of the crowd and swiftly took out men with her bo staff, twirling it expertly while implementing martial arts in her attacks. Despite having superior height, experience, strength, numbers, and guns, they took out the hundred of men in just ten minutes. After kicking the last man down, Tatsumi high-fived Ryuuji who already placed his gloves away. Tatsumi dragged her brother all the way back,

"How was that, Papa?"

"Too slow." At the pouting face, he added, "But you both did well for five year olds."

The kids smiled, satisfied with the answer. Lal whacked Colonello, "The kids may just surpass you in a few years, Colonello."

Verde grinned like a mad scientist, "Interesting… So much potential and strength in that small body…"

Fong smiled amiably, "Nice martial arts skills; Reborn didn't teach you, right?"

The Arcobaleno who didn't notice blinked before gaping, "Then who did? That was strong for kids."

"Mama taught us! She didn't like Papa's Spartan ways so she taught us~"

"…Who is your mama?"

Reborn smirked as he felt a familiar presence, "Tsuna, you came to join us?"

Colonello and Skull blinked, "There's no here."

Lal scoffed as she whacked her student. Reborn rose and walked over to knock the wall. Tsuna smiled as she gracefully appeared from out of the shadows, "I felt my cute twins fighting and thought that I would like to join… But it took longer to get my customers to leave the café than I expected…" (-_-")

Reborn smirked as he kissed her lightly on the lips, "It's because your cooking is too delicious… just like you."

Before Tsuna could respond to the kiss, she felt the twins pull them apart. Tatsumi pouted, "Keep the PDA level down!"

Ryuuji nodded in agreement and Tsuna hugged them lightly, kissing them on the forehead, "Hey there, Ryuuji, Tatsumi. So you made your debut in the world?"

"Yup~! …They found out; is it all right?"

"Of course, darling. I'll support you all no matter what you do. And it's about time that people stop asking me out—"

A familiar gun was noisly loaded, "Who?"

"No one important, Reborn." Tsuna, then, turned to the others, "Are you in an Arcobaleno meeting?"

Luce smiled, "No, we are just meeting outside of work. It's nice to meet you…"

"Tsuna. My name is Tsuna, boss of Giglio Nero Famiglia, Luce. Thanks for taking care of my Reborn."

* * *

A bright light blinded their eyes as they felt their bodies shorten and weaken. After the light and glares disappeared, the former adults looked at their now baby-fied bodies in frozen shock. They were brought out of it when they heard a loud shout,

"Tsuna! Why did you follow us?"

The Arcobaleno blinked. They had noticed Colonello, but not the always elusive beautiful girl. Now, she was a cute baby with cute doe-like eyes. The girl smiled,

"I followed you, Reborn."

Reborn angrily growled, "I know that, but why? You knew that this was going to happen!"

Tsuna calmly enclosed the short distance between the two and hugged Reborn, "I told you… I'll follow you everywhere. Even in cursed lands, I will follow and support you. This burden… Let me share it with you."

And for a moment, the baby-fied Reborn blinked and looked like he was going to cry. But even as a baby, he was strong and could control himself well. He fiercely hugged her back in a protective manner. Colonello sheepishly turned away and gazed at Lal, "They took the spotlight… But may you allow me to join you in future journeys as well?"

Lal turned red with embarrassment, but didn't deny him the request. Verde pushed up his glasses, "So you two and Luce knew that we were going to be cursed?"

All froze, remembering their predicament. Seeing that the couple wasn't talking, Luce nodded solemnly, "I had a dream about it."

Verde scowled, "Then, why didn't you tell us?"

"…" Even Luce couldn't answer that question. Tsuna guiltily looked down and Reborn firmly and protectively held her while staring back at the others with a hard look.

"Because this was absolutely necessary for the balance of the world…" Then Reborn told them about everything Tsuna had told them. Luce nodded and confirmed that it was fact in the end. Tsuna merely quietly said,

"We are sacrifices and fated to protect the world until our death arrives. But this is just a trial that we will have to accept and live with. If you must get angry at someone for hiding the truth, then get angry at me."

Verde clicked his tongue before disappearing along with the others. They all couldn't hurt Tsuna, having thought of her as a close friend. She was nice and gentle. Strong too. Tsuna turned to Reborn, "This was the right choice, right?"

Reborn gently caressed her cheek, "Any choice you make is the right choice. Just as you would support me, I will support you. Even till death and whatever comes afterword, we will be together."

"Thanks, Reborn." Then, she sweat-dropped, "What do we tell the kids?"

Reborn dead-panned, "…"

* * *

**A/N: Random Story... I know. But I remember promising someone a romance a long time ago so I came out of my hiatus to write something quickly. Quite fast-pace and really OOC but honestly this is my first time writing a romance. Anyways, bye. I going to stay in my hiatus again.**


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